Strawberries
by Raudell
Summary: Clark takes Lois on a quiet date after a breakup to tell her how he feels. Sequel to Mouse. Clois.


**Title**: Strawberries (Sequel to Mouse)  
**Author**: Areon (Kaleb)  
**Rating**: K (G)  
**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to DC Comics, Warner Bros., Al Gough, Miles Millar, etc. etc.  
**Spoilers**: None.  
**Placement**: A few years after the end of season five and the day after the events of Mouse.  
**Quick Summary**: Clark takes Lois on a quiet date after a breakup to tell her how he feels.  
**Author's Note**: Though this is a sequel, the stylings of this one-shot are a departure from those used in Mouse. I attempted to keep it consistent, but I was unable to tell the story I wanted to tell and stick with the writing style of the former. I do hope you are able to enjoy this despite the change in style.

"Where are we going again?"

Lois took her eyes off the passing landscape and rested her gaze on Clark in anticipation of his answer. They had been driving for nearly twenty minutes already, and the further they went the more confused she became. Her Smallville apartment had long past been left in the dust, followed soon by the town and then the surrounding farms. They didn't appear to be headed anywhere, though that wasn't hard to do when you lived smack dab in the middle of Nowheresville, Kansas.

Clark gave her a smile and a wink, and then turned his eyes back to the road.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Right. A surprise. I forgot."

Lois was no longer a fan of surprises. Surprises never ended well for her. The last one certainly hadn't. Only the day before, Devon, her boyfriend of three months, had left her. Though fled was a more accurate term. He had made it perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with her, now or ever.

A bump in the road jolted her slightly out of her seat and her thoughts, and she stole a quick glance in Clark's direction. His eyes were still fixed to the road, though upon her gaze he caught her eye.

"Sorry. This road isn't what it used to be."

Lois nodded, and the silence resumed. Her eyes drifted to the passing scenery, which was quickly evolving into flat and empty grasslands. Where was Clark taking her? His actions the night before were enough of a surprise. She didn't need any more mystery from him.

He had kissed her. Twice. And now she was riding with him to a surprise destination for a mystery dinner. Enough was enough. What did he want from her?

Clark slowed the truck and pulled off to the side of the road. Parking the truck, he got out and hurried to her door, opening it for her and helping her out. Lois took his offered hand and stepped out onto the grass, taking a quick look around and attempting to shake off the shiver that passed through her at his touch. Nothing stood out.

"Smallville? Didn't you say we were going to dinner?"

"Yes."

"But we're in the middle of nowhere."

"I know." He smiled and took her hand, pulling her in his direction. "Come on. I want to show you something." She nodded and followed him reluctantly.

They walked together on the grass for a good ten minutes, neither of them saying anything. Each moment of silence only made things worse. It left her time to think. Thinking was not good. It brought back all that had happened in the last twenty four hours, and indeed, in the past few years.

She stopped walking for a moment, and Clark stopped a few steps ahead of her and turned around, giving her a confused look.

"What are we doing?"

"I'm taking you to dinner," Clark stated simply, his face still full of confusion.

"No. I mean what is this?" She motioned from him to her with her hand. "Us. What are we doing? What does this mean?" _Why did you kiss me?_

"Lois, we're almost there. Can we talk about this over dinner?"

"No! I don't want to go to your stupid dinner! And I don't need your pity. I needed your support, Smallville, not your pity. I needed a friend. But you…you do all this. You put up this façade. Do you…do you think so little of me?" She paused and quickly dried her eyes with her hands, laughing as she did. "Seems those onions are everywhere this season."

"Lois?"

Lois finished drying her eyes and looked down to see Clark down on one knee. He took both her hands in his and looked her straight in the eye. She turned away and jerked her hands from his hold.

"Lois?"

She sighed and turned to face him again. "What, Smallville?"

"I wanted to tell you this over dinner, but you need to hear this now. This…us…it isn't a façade. I'm not taking you out because I feel sorry for you. I'm taking you out because I want to. You are truly special, Lois, and I want to show you what you mean to me."

"Then why did you kiss me?"

"What?"

"You just told me what you did wasn't a façade. If it wasn't, why did you kiss me?"

"Because I'm in love with you."

"No, you…what?"

"I love you, Lois. I have for a long time. I kissed you because I wanted to show you what I feel, and that you have no reason to doubt yourself. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. Devon was the fool. He is the one that is missing out, not you."

Lois was speechless. _That_ was the last thing she had expected him to say. He loved her? But he knew her better than anyone. How could the former and latter be true at the same time?

Clark took her hands again, and this time she let him. She looked into his eyes. She really looked. And she saw it. It really was true. He did love her.

"Clark…I…I don't know…"

"You don't have to say anything, Lois. I'm not asking you for anything. All I want is to give you a quiet dinner and a memorable evening." He squeezed her hand encouragingly, and stood, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "Is that okay?"

She nodded hesitantly, earning a warm smile from Clark.

"Come on." He pulled her hand as he set off, continuing to lead her through the empty grasslands. She followed quietly, still attempting to process everything he had said.

They continued on for another five minutes, each of them walking in silence. Clark still held his hand enclasped in hers, and the two of them now walked side by side. She suddenly ended up in front of him, as he stopped for a moment and gave her an excited and warm smile.

Lois turned to look at him. "What?" she asked upon seeing his look. She knew that look.

"I want you to close your eyes for the rest of the walk."

"What? You're kidding, right?"

"No."

"I…I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

He squeezed her hand softly. "You can trust me. I won't let you fall."

Lois sighed and closed her eyes, and a moment later she felt a warm piece of fabric being wrapped around her head.

"Smallville…?"

"A blindfold. So you don't peak. Just trust me."

Lois swallowed as Clark finished tying the small piece of flannel in the back. Once he finished he took her hand and gently began to lead her through the grass. Butterflies filled her stomach as nervousness kicked in. She was going to trip and embarrass herself. She just knew it.

"That's it. Steady. I've got you. Just a little bit further. Okay, stop." She paused and felt his hands loosening the knot. "Close your eyes, Lois."

Lois submitted, closing her eyes for a moment. The blindfold was removed, and the brightness of sunshine warmed her face.

"Okay. Open your eyes."

"Wow…" she said in awe as she took in the scene around her. A single oak tree stood to her left, a row of bushes to her right, and the setting sun stood in the distance, painting the clouds and landscape a beautiful mix of yellows and oranges.

Clark took her hand once more and led her to the tree, sitting down under the shade and motioning for her to follow. She sat down beside him and took in the scenery once more. "How did you find this place?"

He laughed. "An accident when I was younger. I went for a run and got lost out here. I didn't know how to get back home or if my parents would find me. I found this tree and it took me in and comforted me."

"It's beautiful."

"It surely is."

Lois smiled and turned her eyes back to the sunset. It was a peaceful place. Something about it calmed her. Or perhaps the calming was from the person sitting beside her.

Clark got up abruptly and walked over to the bushes, bending over and doing something she couldn't quite see. Seemingly finished, he stood back up and sat back down beside her, holding out his hand. Her eyes widened. Strawberries.

"They grow wild here. Try one."

Lois looked at the strawberries for a moment in hesitation. She really really loved strawberries, and she really wanted to bite into one. But these were wild, untreated strawberries. Could she trust them?

Giving in, she took one and bit a small amount off the end. Tasting it, she threw her caution aside and took a larger bite, closing her eyes and groaning in pleasure as she took in the taste. Simply amazing.

"I really love strawberries. I've tried to get them to grow at the farm, and I make frequent trips into town to buy them, but no strawberry I've had compares to the ones that grow out here naturally, in the wild."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment, and she nodded, taking another one. These strawberries were a delicacy. She had never tasted anything so rich and sweet.

"I can settle for the store bought varieties, but when October rolls around and these strawberries start to bloom, I realize what I've been missing and I won't settle for anything else. The last couple of years, I've given up on eating strawberries throughout the year because I know it will be worth the wait. And it always is."

He smiled and bit into a strawberry of his own, sighing pleasantly as he tasted the bright fruit.

"You are a wild strawberry, Lois. There is no one else out there that I would rather be with than you. You may be a little unpolished or rough around the edges, but that is because you were grown wild. Don't ever wish you were a store grown strawberry, Lois. Don't try to be something you're not. You are so much sweeter and so much richer as you are. You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, both inside and out. And I love you."

He smiled a telling smile, took her face in his hand, and leaned in and kissed her softly. She closed her eyes and took everything in. Her butterflies were back, and her heart was racing. It was wonderful.

She pulled away suddenly, touching her fingers to her lips and looking up at him, preparing for the worst. "Smallville…I…I'm not ready for this."

There was no shock in his eyes. No disappointment. No pity. Just love. "I know. I just wanted to show you what you mean to me. You're not a mouse, Lois. You're not a store bought fruit. You don't have to be afraid to be who you are. Who you are has enraptured my heart completely."

"I…I don't know what to say. Thank you. You don't…you don't know what that means to me. I just don't know that I can give you what you want."

His eyes didn't falter from her gaze. His face didn't fall. "I'm not asking for anything, Lois. You don't owe me anything. I don't want you to give me anything out of an obligation to my feelings. Nothing will change between us unless you want it to change. I only want something more with you if you want it too. I will accept whatever you are ready to give, even if it is nothing more than what we share now."

Lois smiled and shook her head in amazement. Was she really that beautiful, that Clark would love her with a love like that? Perhaps she was.

Clark leaned his back into the trunk of the oak tree, and Lois followed suit. The two of them relaxed in the quiet shade, enjoying the rest of the sunset and a dinner of wild strawberries in comfortable silence. When the last rays of sunlight dipped past the horizon, Clark took out a flashlight and helped her up to her feat, leading her back to his truck.

On the way back, Lois paused and squeezed his hand softly, drawing his attention.

"Smallville?"

"Yes Lois?"

"I think I'm nearing the end of February."

She heard him chuckle, and knew he had a smile a mile wide, even though in the darkness she could not see it. "You mean the winter is almost over and spring is almost here?"

How did he do it? "Exactly."

"I'm glad." And, just below a whisper, he added, "And I can wait for your October."

She smiled. She had heard him. And something told her that she would look forward to it too.

_I'm a wild strawberry._

**The End**


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